Almost certainly, the profuse flowering of Eriobotrya japonica is one of the many interesting effects of the long hot summer, though unlike the plants which are flowering out of season, this is its natural flowering time.  Until recent years it was rare to see any flowers here.  In the Rosaceae (rose) family, this highly ornamental shrub is grown for its handsome glossy, deeply veined  leaves, at about 20cm long the largest of any evergreen grown outside in the UK, and valued for its architectural presence.